Category: Top Questions
What are the Orientation Session Dates?
SUMMER 2013 ORIENTATION
New students who pay the enrollment confirmation fee to the Office of Admissions and Adult Student Services at the beginning of March will receive information regarding orientation registration in the mail. Students can complete their orientation registration online through MyCharleston starting on March 20th.
Students register for orientation by logging into their MyCharleston account, selecting the academic services tab and going to the orientation box in the first column. Students will need to complete the questions in the orientation registration booklet before they log in to register for orientation.
Orientation Session Dates
The following sessions are for students who are starting classes at the College of Charleston in fall 2013.
| Session 1 | Monday and Tuesday | June 10-11 | CLOSED |
| Session 2 | Thursday and Friday | June 13-14 | CLOSED |
| Session 3 | Monday and Tuesday | June 17-18 | CLOSED |
| Session 4 | Thursday and Friday | June 20-21 | |
| Session 5 | Monday and Tuesday | June 24-25 | |
| Session 6 | Thursday and Friday | July 11-12 | |
| Session 7 | Monday and Tuesday | July 15-16 | |
| Session 8 | Thursday and Friday | July 18-19 | |
| Session 9* | Monday and Tuesday | August 12-13 | |
| Session 10** | Thursday and Friday | August 15-16 |
* transfers only, transfer students are welcome to attend any of the sessions 1 through 8, but you are eligible to attend an orientation session on August 12-13 (Session 9), which is designed especially for you. There are a limited number of seats available that we will reserve on a first-come, first-served basis.
**700-mile program
If you live 700 miles or more from Charleston, you are welcome to attend any of the 10 orientations, but you are eligible to attend an orientation session on August 15-16 (Session 10), which is designed especially for you. There are a limited number of seats available that we will reserve on a first-come, first-served basis.
Because we cannot accommodate all students who live 700 miles or more from the campus in this one session, we encourage you to attend an earlier orientation session if you possibly can.
If you are participating in sorority rush or summer preview, you will not be able to attend Session 10 on August 15-16.
Student Holds
All students have an orientation hold on their file until they attend orientation. It does not affect the ability to register for orientation.
Notification of Confirmation
Please do not make travel plans and/or lodging reservations until your assigned orientation date has been confirmed. One week after you have submitted your online registration form, you’ll be able to see your confirmation online. (We do not mail or email confirmations.) Log onto my.cofc.edu, select the “academic services” tab, locate the “orientation” box and click on “orientation session confirmation.”
How do I get an email account?
Student Email or Cmail
Cmail is the College’s student email system powered by Google.
All College of Charleston applicants who have paid their tuition deposit with intent to enroll at the College of Charleston have a @g.cofc.edu email account that is accessible through mail.g.cofc.edu. Your Cmail account is used by the College to contact students with vital information, such as Financial Aid and class registration dates. You will receive information about the account and password at the email address you used on your application 48 hours after your tuition deposit is processed.
Faculty and Staff Email
Email accounts are created when you are hired if you are a permanent employee, or a faculty or adjunct faculty member. E-mail accounts are created for all others upon request by your supervisor. A Cougars account, which allows login to campus PCs and MyCharleston, is created for EVERY employee when hired.
Your email address at the College of Charleston is your Cougars username with @cofc.edu appended to it. For example, if your name was John Smith and your username was smithj, your email address would be smithj@cofc.edu. This account is created upon your hiring at the College. If you don’t know your email account name and password, contact Helpdesk at 843.953.3375 or helpdesk@cofc.edu. If you need an email account set up, please contact your supervisor or department chair.
When is graduation?
Undergraduate Commencement
For undergraduate commencement information, please visit www.cofc.edu/seniorinfo/.
In order to graduate, ultimately, each student must:
- Complete all General Education and Institutional Requirements.
- Complete all Major and Degree Requirements (including concentration/cognate or minor if applicable).
- Apply for Graduation via MyCharleston (click on Apply for Graduation for more information or MyCharleston to apply via Banner Self-Service)
- Pay the Graduation Fee (after you apply to graduate – pay via your MyCharleston account just as you would any other academic fee)
- Review Diploma information (includes replacement information)
Graduate Commencement
For graduate commencement information, please visit http://gradschool.cofc.edu/currentstudents/commencement/
Things to do before Graduate Commencement
- Apply for graduation.
- Graduation applications are only accepted online via MyCharleston. Log in, then click on the Academic Services tab. Then, click on the Banner Self Service Link. Next, click on “Student,” then “Apply to Graduate.”
- Complete your degree check.
- Ensure the Graduate School Office has a copy of your Program of Study form and any Program of Study Change forms you may have completed.
- If you have transfer credit, which has been approved by your program, please make certain that you have ordered an official copy of your transcript to be sent to the Graduate School Office (for students in Education programs) or to be your graduate program office (all other programs). Transfer credit needs to be manually applied to your student records and this takes time. So please request any transcripts as soon as possible.
- If you are completing a thesis, you must successfully defend your work and submit your thesis online.
- If comprehensive exams are required for your program, please arrange to take the exam on the scheduled dates.
- For information or questions regarding your degree check or graduation, contact the Graduate School.
- Take the financial aid exit interview.
- You must complete the online exit interview if you paid for any part of your graduate education with loans. Your PIN is the same as your FAFSA personal identification number. Contact the Department of Education if you have forgotten your PIN.
- Purchase graduation regalia.
- Purchase from the College Bookstore. The prices are subject to change and do not include SC sales tax.
How do I access my online bill?
The eBills will be sent to all pre-registered students through their Cmail account and any Authorized User’s email address established in the eBill system. The instructions for adding an Authorized User in the e-Bill system can be found at treasurer.cofc.edu/ebill-tutorials/index.php .
Students
View your eBill and all financial information through MyCharleston.
Authorized Users
View eBill and all financial information by signing into eBill.
eBill Tutorials
- eBill Overview Tutorial
- How do I add a new payment method?
- How do I view my saved payment methods?
- How do I edit or delete a saved payment method?
- How do I make a payment?
- How do I receive my refund by direct deposit?
- How do I set-up a refund direct deposit account?
- How do I add an authorized user?
- How do I add cougar cash on my eBill?
- How do I add dining dollars on my eBill?
How will I be notified about my financial aid award?
It is extremely important that you maintain your official College of Charleston e-mail account. It is your responsibility as a student to check your e-mail account frequently to retrieve official communication and to ensure mailbox space is available to receive these notifications.
E-mails are sent pertaining to students about “missing or incomplete financial documents,” and “information concerning financial aid award packages.” In the email, you will be instructed to log into MyCharleston to review your current financial aid status. In some circumstances, there may be additional information needed to complete the financial aid file.
All students will access financial aid awards through the MyCharleston student portal. Once you log in, find and click on the Financial Aid Tab. Under the Financial Aid tab, find the Financial Aid Self Service Channel. Click on the Awards link. Now select Awards for the Aid Year. Next select the Award Year from the drop down menu. NOTE, you will be required to read and accept the Terms and Conditions for receipt of your financial aid PRIOR to accepting the full or partial amount of your awards.
Where is the College of Charleston?
The College of Charleston is located at 66 George Street in Charleston, South Carolina.
The College of Charleston welcomes visitors to its beautiful, historic campus. Interested students, parents and friends who visit our campus will find plenty of ways to enjoy it – from a stroll in the shade of the live oak trees draped with Spanish moss, to a step back in time as they enter the threshold of Towell Library, to a glimpse of the future in the Beatty Center at the School of Business.
The College of Charleston campus is located in one of the loveliest parts of the city of Charleston. The city’s location on the best harbor along the South Atlantic coast has made it a notable port of commerce for three centuries. It is one of the most historic cities in the U.S. and preserves all the flavor of its early heritage. In 2010, Travel & Leisure magazine readers listed Charleston as the No. 3 best destination in the world. Charleston joins New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Santa Fe, Quebec City, Vancouver, Montreal, Victoria and Seattle on that magazine’s list of 2007’s 10 best destinations in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, Charleston has been ranked as one of the top 10 domestic travel destinations for the past 11 years in Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s prestigious Readers’ Choice Awards.
Charleston offers all the benefits of urban living on a smaller scale. There’s a perfect balance of cultural offerings and recreational opportunities. Year-round, events keep the historic city of Charleston buzzing. Music and tempting aromas fill the downtown air. These activities run the gamut from world-renowned performances at the Spoleto USA Festival to the authentic taste of the Carolina Lowcountry at local oyster roasts.
Charleston County stretches from the mouth of the Santee River in the north to the mouth of the South Edisto River, with 91 miles of coastline on the Atlantic ocean and a total area of 888 square miles. The county’s coastline is made up of a chain of islands, which form a natural barrier between the ocean and the mainland. Throughout this region, fingers of the sea form numerous small inlets that reach inland. One of the largest and most beautiful is Charleston Harbor, into which the Ashley and the Cooper, two large tidal rivers, empty. The South Carolina Lowcountry is a term used to describe the palmetto state’s central and southern coastal counties including Georgetown, Charleston, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper. This coastal region contains many salt marshes and estuaries, as well as a few natural ports. And the Lowcountry’s economic center is the port city of Charleston.
The Lowcountry has a subtropical climate. Coastal areas of the state have mild winters with high temperatures approaching an average of 60 degrees and overnight lows in the 40s.
How do I contact the Helpdesk?
Faculty and Staff Helpdesk
The Faculty and Staff Helpdesk can be contacted via telephone 843.953.3375 or email helpdesk@cofc.edu during the normal business hours of Monday – Friday from 7:30 am – 5:00 pm. Extended classroom support is available Monday – Thursday until 10:00 pm. Emergency after-hours support is available to Faculty and Staff Monday – Friday from 7:30 am – 10:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday 2:00pm – 10:00pm. Please leave a message including the nature of the emergency and contact information. The on-call technician will return the call within 30 minutes.
Student Computing Support
Student Computing Support (SCS) provides phone 843.953.8000 and email studentcomputingsupport@cofc.edu support to students with computer problems from 8 am – 4 pm, Monday thru Friday. Walk-in technical support is available to students with laptops. SCS does not provide hardware repair, nor support for the ResNet Internet service in campus housing. Internet access and service problems in campus housing should be reported to Apogee at 1-855-290-7138.
What are the Application Deadlines?
Undergraduate Admissions Deadlines
Freshmen
- Early Notification Deadline – November 1
- Merit Scholarship Deadline – December 1
- Regular Notification Priority Deadline – February 1
Transfer Students
- Fall Semester Deadline – June 1
- Spring Semester Deadline – December 1
Readmit Students
- Fall Semester Deadline – May 1
- Spring Semester Deadline – December 1
International Students
Admission deadlines for international students are the same as for other U.S. students. Be sure to start the application process early to allow time for transcript translations to be completed and for your visa to be processed.
Graduate Admissions Deadlines
Please refer to the Graduate School website at gradschool.cofc.edu/applyingtograduateschool for application requirements and deadlines.
What are Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto?
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene, and others who sought to create an American counterpart to their annual Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. Looking for a city that would provide the charm of Spoleto as well as its wealth of theaters, churches and other performances spaces, they selected Charleston as the ideal location. The historic city provided a perfect fit: intimate enough that the Festival would captivate the entire city, yet cosmopolitan enough to provide an enthusiastic audience and robust infrastructure. Learn more and view the schedule at http://spoletousa.org.
Piccolo Spoleto
Focusing primarily on artists of the Southeast region, Piccolo Spoleto is the perfect complement to the international scope of its parent festival and its 700 events in 17 days, transforms Charleston into an exhilarating celebration of performing, literary and visual arts. Piccolo Spoleto’s traditional program offerings include visual arts exhibits, classical music, jazz, dance, theatre, poetry readings, children’s activities, choral music, ethnic cultural presentations, crafts and film. Learn more and view the schedule at http://www.piccolospoleto.com.